Summertime Reading (At the Bus Stop)

One Street: Market Square, Shipley #48

Thanks for the great feedback on yesterday's portrait shot. I have to admit that I'm more comfortable taking those kind of pictures, with the subject's permission, than I am with the candid street photographs. These require you to be a lot bolder. The bus stop stands around Market Square are often home to the most fabulous vignettes but I've seldom been brave enough to try to capture them. Today I was emboldened to do so because I just loved the way this guy was so lost in his book and his music, quite oblivious to the chatter - and, of course, the photographer! His shirt is really quite special. It was tempting to leave it in its original garish colours but I felt it would have been just too distracting to the overall story.

I've had one of those days where the forces of the universe have been conspiring against me at every turn. Looking back at things I can see the funny side of it right now. I fell into several holes today, in each case the more effort I put into extracting myself the deeper the hole became. I eventually managed to find a way out of one but I'm still a long way down at the bottom of the other. I'm going to have to sleep on it.

I know that a lot of this is about perception. When we are flowing with the current we tend to notice and focus on the positives. When we are fighting against the current we are far more likely to notice and focus on the negatives. This was illustrated to me on my cycle back home. Just after leaving the office I got seriously cut up by a car which passed me and then turned left right across my path. I had to brake very sharply to avoid a collision. My first reaction was to add it to the catalogue of the day's woes but then I turned it around and tried to see it as a positive. By being alert to the situation I managed to avoid what could have been a very serious accident. Instead of feeling unlucky and the victim of circumstance I saw myself as being lucky and the beneficiary of good fortune. That felt a whole lot better!